Kustlijn van de Zuiderzee in Valkeveen c. 1913

This is Willem Witsen’s etching, made of the Zuiderzee coastline in Valkeveen. Just look at those horizontal lines of charcoal dust. Each one feels like a meditation, right? I'm imagining Witsen out on that coastline, squinting into the distance to capture the exact, hazy grey of the Dutch sky, the wet sand and the distant horizon line. The marks are light, but deliberate, capturing not just the landscape, but a feeling of quiet contemplation. I can almost feel the damp air and hear the muted sounds of the sea as the tide washes over the sand. A couple of birds wheel overhead. Painters like Witsen and Whistler understood that less can be more. These guys share an eye for tonalism, for the poetry of atmosphere. With a minimum of fuss, they create these little worlds. It’s so generous—like a visual haiku that invites us to pause, breathe, and just be.